None

[kritters4]

Sorry!

[kamgen]

Sorry to hear you did not sail. Glad to hear that DCL was trying to accomodate people.
Still, I may be in the majority here, but we don't cruise DCL to go to the Bahamas...we cruise DCL for the ship, service, and Disney magic. There have been cruises that went to the Bahamas and it was cold and rainy.
I think going to SC would be different and a unique cruise, different from any you will ever take again. But that's just me. If people cruise in hurricane season, I say expect any itinerary. :)

Sorry your trip was changed. I would've liked to hear what it was like with the alternative route.

Hope you get to cruise DCL again.

Kamy :)

[kritters4]

Intresting to hear your opinion, we felt we experienced the "magic" of Disney with four days spent touring the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM. For us the ship was only a part of the experience. Being from the east coast, a trip to SC could have been obtained by car. To experience the "magic" they were offering us we could have stayed at the Disney hotel!!

[natsmom125]

In defense of South Carolina....it did NOT rain here this weekend...nor has it since. It has
been very warm during the day..but chilly at night.

According to the news and the newspaper...The Wonder docked in Charleston and passengers and crew had a great time. Charleston is a beautiful old city, full of
tourist things to do and lots of great restaurants. She also has a straw market, similar
to the one Nassau.

Maybe next time you cruise...you should not plan on cruising during hurricane season.

Sorry you didn't want to come to South Carolina..especially the coastal regions...it is
beautiful.

Phyllis:cool:

[gometros]

In answer to your comment about experiencing the magic of Disney in the parks, I can answer you this way. My family has experienced both he parks and DCL. When I asked my kids which they would rather do if they had to make a choice, the cruise or the parks, the unanimous answer was the cruise.

I have to preface this by saying that we've already been to the Bahamas, once with Carnival and once with DCL. We feel the fun of a Disney cruise is not in the destination, but getting there. There are so many activities on the ship itself, we could stay on board and never set foot on land and be totally happy. As a matter of fact, when we sailed with DCL last summer, we only got off in Nassau to do some shopping and then spent most of the time on board. Between the shows, the pools, the kids activities, it's like a floating camp. Granted, different people look for different things in a vacation and I'm happy with sitting with a good book by the pool, while others need to be entertained 24x7, so you have to take my comments with a grain of salt.

Anyway, your decision has already been made and I'm just happy that DCL was able to accommodate you to your satisfaction. I hope you give them another try.

[firsttimelongtime]

We were on a 7 day Magic cruise (9/29). I would have been just as happy to have a 7 day cruise with no ports to call upon!! The cruise is what I was looking for, not a trip to shop in a crazed market!! If you just wanted to go to the Bahamas, you should have chosen a much less expensive alternative....maybe Carnival Cruise Lines!! I can understand you being upset that your itinerary was changed due tot he weather, but, DCL has a point.....you signed an agreement that clearly stated that your itinerary may be changed for various reasons.
I just read what I wrote here...it seems a little harsh upon second glance!! It's not meant to be....just the facts!!

[ivyc88]

Just back from the 10/21 Wonder.
If I were you, I would have left the cruise ship too. Although the cruise ship experience is great, vacationing on a non-US warm weather destination is always the main purpose of my cruise trip.

Hope you will have a great time on your next cruise.

[gfox1]

Kritters,

I understand your disapointment but DCL does not have any control over the weather. I have been on 2 Disney Cruises and both had itinery changes.

The first was 2 years ago. We were booked on the 4 day Wonder one week after Hugo came through and destroyed Nasaua and Castawat Cay. We were diverted to Cosumel and had a wonderful time (even without getting to go to the Disney Island.)

The 2nd just happened. We were on the Holloween Magic cruise and passed through Michelle as she was forming and was still a tropical storm. My heart sank as I watched Captin Hans try 2 or 3 attempts to dock at Castaway Cay and finally give up due to strong winds. (I am now 0 for 2 in getting onto The Island and have had to promise several people to notify them if I plan to go again so that they can make sure that they are NOT booked at the same time.) :confused:

Although I was very disappointed I would rather see the Captin and Disney in general put the safety of the passengers above all else. Trying to take the ship through a Hurricane would have been neglegent and endangered your life.

[natsmom125]

That would have been Hurricane Floyd 2 years ago.....

Hugo was in 1989....


Living on the SC coast...I remember them WELL.

Phyllis
:cool:

[mmouse37]

I also understand your disappointment....but...I would have stayed on the ship. That's just me...I am not saying your decision was wrong...it was obviously what you felt was best for your family.

We been on four DCL cruises and next time I cruise I plan on just staying on the ship. We were lucky in that three of our cruises were in July and one was in October. We never had bad weather once!

We love the ship so much that we try to take advantage of everything they have to offer. Sometimes I think the shore excursions take away time from the things I want to do onboard. I know...that is my opinion and my opinion alone. I would have stayed on board and considered it a new adventure. I have been to Charleston and love it!!!!

I think we all try to save as much money as we can when we travel because Disney is pricey, but going in the fall is always a roll of the dice as to what the weather will be. We have to understand that is the main reason the rates become so attractive in the falll - because of the probability of hurricanes and tropical storms.

As I said, we when we sailed in July we had great weather. Try for early summer months next time and hopefully the weather will be better (even though you never can messs with Mother Nature...she rules!!!)

Better luck next time.

MJ

[susanf31]

I am in total agreement with you!!! South Carolina replacing the Carribbean?!?!? Not in a million years! I have been to Charleston and Folly Beach and Hilton Head and they are very nice places. But when I book a Carribbean cruise, I am expecting warm weather, crystal clear water, tropical snorkeling, etc... In fact the crystal clear water and the snorkeling is the only reason I want to take the trip!!! If it wasn't, I would have booked an Alaskan cruise or a European cruise. Anybody can get to Charleston, but only a cruise can take you to destinations outside of the U.S. easily for a short visit.

I think DCL should have navigated around Michelle and made sure that you at least got to a Carribbean port of call. Charleston is NO replacement for a warm-weather, Carribbean-like destination.

[ivyc88]

Just want to elaborate a bit more for my message. I agree safety should be placed as the number one priority. And I understand the Disney package is a contract and November is part of the Hurricane season. Under the circumstances mentioned by the original poster, if ¡§leaving the ship and credit later¡¨ is a negotiable option. I would definitely exhaust all opportunities to negotiate that option politely.

Having so many passengers willingly to stay on the ship for the whole cruise duration, Disney should build another ship on its theme park to expand revenue.

[DuncanLL]

The Wonder sails to the Bahamas, not the Caribbean. I'm sure you missed out on a great time.

[kamgen]

But when I book a Carribbean cruise, I am expecting warm weather, crystal clear water, tropical snorkeling, etc... In fact the crystal clear water and the snorkeling is the only reason I want to take the trip!!! If it wasn't, I would have booked an Alaskan cruise or a European cruise. Anybody can get to Charleston, but only a cruise can take you to destinations outside of the U.S. easily for a short visit.

While I realize that Charleston is not the Caribbean, people need to realize that the cruise was diverted for safety reasons. I would trust the captain made the best decision.
Also, those who cruise in hurricane season should never expect blue skies and crystal clear waters. It is hruricane season and anything goes, especially in terms of ports and weather forecasts.
Again, I am just happy to be aboard the ship and enjoy what it has to offer. If i am that set on a carribbean vacation, I will opt for an all- inclusive resort instead of a cruise. Even when the ship goes to the Bahamas or Caribbean there is no guarantee the weather will cooperate or that you will reach your destination to dock. Just thoughts on the subject. DCL is a great vacation...and it doesn't even need to dock for me :)

JMHO.

Kamy :)

[kritters4]

Glad to see you realize the difference between the Bahamas and Charleston, as most people would. I do trust that the Captain made the best decision not to go into the storm due to safty reasons and of course Disney can't control the weather. That was never the issue. What I was unhappy with was Disneys refusal to let its passengers know until 25 minutes before leaving the dock of the itinerary change and its choice of destination. Many passengers (including us) had been asking about a change in itinerary, and were told that if the ports were changed it would be a similiar experience (not so). While I don't doubt the beauty of Charleston, it in no way replaces the experiences of the Bahamas. As far as those of you who would be happy never to leave the ship...good for you. Perhaps you will be as "lucky" as us on YOUR next cruise. TOUGH CROWD!!!! :p

[susanf31]

It is a tough crowd!! Most people realize that people who book a CARRIBBEAN CRUISE want BOTH!! They want to pleasures that a cruise ship has to offer AND they want the destination of the CARRIBBEAN!! If I wanted to just go to the Carribbean and not experience the pleasure of a cruise, I would go to an all-inclusive. If I just wanted the pleasure of the cruise without ever getting off the ship, then I guess I wouldn't care where we went...but I think most people care about where they are going.

How would folks from Charleston and the surrounding area have felt if your long-awaited cruise that you spend years saving for ended up taking you to your home town/area?!?!? I would have been majorly bummed...and if Disney knew it before they sailed, I would have appreciated my $$ back and an opportunity to sail at another time.

It's one thing to run into bad weather once you have sailed, but if they had prior knowledge that they would not be going to the Bahamas, they should have offered the passengers a chance to get off the ship and reschdule what is a DREAM vacation to many people. I don't think many people from Charleston would consider their dream vacation as a trip to Charleston!

With that said folks....I have only one word for you....MAY!!!! In May, you don't have the winter storms (don't forget that "The Storm of the Century" was in the winter.) And you don't have summer/fall hurricanes. You also get the Spring discount because kids are usually in school. :) Happy sailing!

[Deb & Bill]

It's my understanding that the Wonder did get to Castaway Cay today.

When I saw the hurricane forming near Mexico, it was my hope that it wouldn't head towards the Bahamas. But when it started heading for Cuba, I had the bad feeling it would be going right into the path of the Wonder. The Magic hightailed it out of port to get beyond the fury of the storm, but still had two relatively bad nights at sea. (Check out Sue Holland's trip reports on RADP) I kept watching the path of the storm, wondering where the Wonder would head. I was guessing Bermuda, but it is too far to get to in the time they had available. The captain had no other choice than to head north. He could have kept at sea until the hurricane let up, but I'm sure he wanted to give the guests some sort of port to visit in the event that he wouldn't be able to get to the Bahamas at all.

I'm sorry that you didn't have the cruise that you expected. I hope my cruise is less eventful on 11/18. We're supposed to be at Freeport and Nassau, but I wouldn't mind staying at sea instead if those ports are in bad shape. There seems to be so much happening on the ship that I hate to miss any of it. I just want to stay out of the big waves since I get seasick. I'm glad I didn't have to sail through any of this weather.

[natsmom125]

Maybe Disney didn't know until 25 minutes before sailing that a change was necessary.
Maybe they were waiting until the last possible moment in case the storm lost intensity or
turned away from the Bahamas and they waiting to see if this happened so the trip could
on as scheduled.

I, like Kamgen, am just happy to be aboard the ship, with my family, and not have to think about phones ringing, homework, pagers going off, dh being called back to work, cooking,
cleaning, laundry....I don't care where the ships go...she can sail around in the ocean for
7 days as far as I'm concerned...but I live at the beach so beaching it is not the priority for us
as it is to other people.

I am very anxious to see the trip reports of the passengers on this cruise and The Magic
to see their reactions.

All of this is only MY opinion and feelings and are of course, not condusive to others.

DEB & BILL....what is RADP?????

Phyllis:cool:

[gometros]

I'm not Deb & Bill, but I can answer that. RADP is rec.arts.disney.parks, a usenet newsgroup that is probably the oldest discussion group dedicated to Disney Parks.

[natsmom125]

Sandy.........thanks.......

[Tluvs2talk]

kritters4,
I bet had you stayed on the ship you would have still had a great time. The weather here in Charleston the day the Wonder was here was sunny and 66 degrees. Not tropical, but all in all a beautiful day. I did go see the Wonder while it was here and the passengers I saw were all having a great time. You cannot predict the weather and I feel you robbed yourself and family of a great cruise. We went to Nassau last year in June. Guess what ?We were in a tropical depression. It rained all day and was around 64 degress. I still had a great time. We also had carnival and another cruise line come to Chas. the next day. I guess the choices were limited with the hurricane. Some times you just have to go with the flo. Life is full of unexpected surprises.



Teri
:D

[NCRedding]

Kritters4. I would have done just what you did. I understand the safety issues and that DCL isn't responsible for the weather, but Charleston in November is not the Bahamas in November. I'm sure you would have had fun, but it would not have been the kind of fun you expected. Good luck on the next trip, hope you get to Nassau and to Castaway Cay.

[Eric, Julie and Hailey]

The part about your post that disturbs me is the fact that your children were crying as the ship pulled away. (I don't blame them.)

Do you think your kids really cared to where the "Mickey Boat" was headed?

I can understand your disappointment -- but, think of the fun your kids missed!

[DeltaDawn]

Kritters,
So what did you end up doing after you left the ship? Did you go back to DW or are you going to try again on DCL? We sailed last month, and one of the things I told my family was, depending on weather we may be diverted somewhere else. Other than Castaway Cay, I couldn't have cared where we went. The next cruise, DH & I want to do is the 4day Wonder again for our 20th anniversary. I don't have any plans getting off the ship except for Castaway Cay.
I'm sure you did what you thought was best for your family, we would have just gone with it, for the sake of everyones hightened spirits.
Good luck with your next venture.

[kritters4]

Teri, not surprized at YOUR reply, I see you live in Charleston, SC. Eric, Julie, and Hailey, my kids 10 & 12 were most upset because they wouldn't be swimming with the dolphins in the Bahamas! The "Mickey Boat" was beautiful no doubt, but the Dolphin Hotel,where we were the four days prior to our sail, was beautiful as well. My children as well as my husband and myself sure did care where that boat was headed!! As far as my family being robbed of a great cruise, DON'T THINK SO!! At least not on the Nov. 4th voyage. We'll be cruising again to the destination we paid for, and I would get off again if it is not one that is similiar. FYI for all of you out there, the FANTASY was at CC when the Wonder was and was able to dock at Freeport for two days. Think DCL waited a little too long to try to find a similiar port to go to.Just a word to all of you out there... I posted this to let you all know of our experience, both good and bad. I think I was fair in my explination of what happened and mostly satisfied with DCL's response the the change in ports. What I am really surprized at is all of the criticism and assumptions! Everyone rest assure, my children are fine and looking forward to another curise in April. I stand by my decision for MY family. Best wishes to all.:wave:

[kritters4]

Dawn, ended up flying home that night. Cruising again in April.:D

[Tluvs2talk]

kritters4 ,
I think the people are being critical because Why should you get a refund when you chose not to sail? Disney fullfilled there requirement by sailing. Are you going to want a refund If you go to Nassau like we did and had your Excursions cancelled because of a tropical depresssion? How about all of the people who can't dock at Castaway Cay, when seas are to rough? It was YOUR choice not to go, plain and simple. I do sympathise with you, and am sorry you didn't get the vacation you chose, but neither did the people who flew to the Bahhamas and were stuck there for the hurricane. F.Y.I. Carnival was here the next day as well as another ship because of Hurricane Michelle. Disney chose the best path for them and their passengers as well as other cruise ships. I hope your next vacation goes as planned for you.


Teri

[chrisn]

Don't feel bad. Animosity here on these boards is not half as bad as on another board I frequent. I totally sympathize with you! I would have been EXTREMELY upset. My girlfriend cruised during Hurricane Michelle also but she cruised with Royal Carribean. They were suppose to cruise to the Western Carribean but they were re-routed to Eastern Carribean which I feel is an EQAUL and acceptable alternative. Yes I realize for those of you wondering that DCL has no control over Mother Nature and there is the matter of a signed cruise contract but Charleston is a far cry from the Bahamas or Carribean. No offense meant what so ever, I'm sure Charleston is a charming town but when you've been dreaming of and expecting the warm waters of the tropical Bahamas, Charleston is NOT IMHO an equal and acceptible alternative. I would have gotten off the ship too. Maybe I am just an ingrate but when I have spent months or a year or more planning and anticipating a cruise of a lifetime, I want the ship follow the book by the letter so to speak. I am sailing Disney and yes I do realize that there is always a chance that there will be a disappointment as far as itinerary goes but I don't think Charleston would be my idea of a dream cruise to a tropical clime where I could have been snorkeling in the crystal waters and sunning on a tropical beach. I chose Disney mainly for my kids because we wanted to take them with us but the second most important reason was the itinerary. I don't want to just relax on the ship the whole time. That's what Sea Days are for or cruises to nowhere. I want to experience those Jewels floating in the Sea. I want to see Trunk Bay and snorkel in the Carribean and lie on the white sand beaches. I don't want to stay on the ship in port or sail someplace I can drive to. Most people do go on cruises to experience and soak up the tropical atmosphere and that includes stepping off the ship and onto those tropical islands. One more thing to think about is the fact that some of these people that have been saving and planning might never get the oportunity to cruise again in which case the Charleston cruise would have been a heart crushing blow to someone like me who is planning and dreaming of those warm, crystal clear waters of the Carribean. I think I will get off my soapbox now. Rememer these are only MY opinions and these boards are to ask and give opinions. It is also my hope that my opinion won't come back to bite me in the but come Feb/Mar.

[Donnainnj]

We were on this cruise, and it was not what I expected. We drove down 95 and if we really wanted to go to Charleston we would have stopped on the way.(G) I wanted to experience the warmth of the Bahamas. We did go on a carriage ride that was ok, the people were real nice, but I wanted a beach. I wanted to get away from reality for a while. That did not happen. Another thing that bothers me is that the seas we experienced seem to have been a bit worse then what the Magic had, the pools on the Wonder were closed most of the time, I have read the pools on the Magic were open, but wavey. Don't know if the day difference in departure made the difference in where we were able to go, but wish they could have done a better job. I was also surprised at the prices of the excursions they offered at Charleston. Disney's excursions were all around $50 per person. We did the carriage ride on our own for $36 for the three of us, they didn't charge us for our 4 year old. I also kept asking for a map of the area, and the excursions desk could not help me. When I asked the night before I was told I could try the internet cafe. I was not willing to pay the price, if they thought of that why didn't they do it as a guest services measure? In the morning they still didn't have a map. When we got off the ship, there was a table set up with tourist information booklets that Charleston tourism was providing us, they contained a map. It would have been nice if Disney could have helped us out with this, or at least known that we would be met with information at port. Made me wonder if they were working on commision at the excursion desk.

We did get all the shows, and what we saw were great, finishing up with the amazing Disney Dreams, just fantastic. The weather really put a damper on things, I think some of the crew had problems cleaning up after all those that were sick, as well as those dumping their beverages ( I did that at the buffet, when the table I tipped into with a wave moved, all the other tables are very steady the omlet station is not)

One other problem we had was with the kids club on the first night, we were paged that my older daughter wanted out, when it was really the younger one. By the time I got to the youger one she was quite upset, and didn't want to go back. She worked through it and did make it back the third day for a short stay and the forth day long enough to eat with the kids, and let us have the best (by far) meal of the trip at Palos.

Castaway Cay was beautiful. We had a wonderful day there, just wish we had more time. Rented a couple of tubes, and bikes. Very relaxing, food was Ok, cookies were good. Service at the barbacue was wonderful, wish we had some of that wait service on the ship. My little one fell off the bench onto her butt and head, luckily the butt took most of the force. The castmembers were there instantly, almost in time to catch her it seemed. She calmed down real fast, and we couldn't feel a bump, so we didn't bring her to first aid. The castmembers kept coming by to see if she was alright or if we needed anything. (the service was just as good before the fall as after)

I wasn't as happy with this trip as I expected to be, but for the kids I feel I would be willing to go again, only thing is my DH was sick 3 of the 4 days and he isn't as willing to give it another try. Guess we will have to go back to WDW for a while, and maybe after a while DH will forget.

[TommyJoe]

We sailed on the Magic for the Oct 27th "Halloween" cruise the first two days were cold and windy. We then experienced three nice days and then on the thursday day at sea it was terrible high swell rainy and windy a lot of the ship was sick none of my family got sick but the water was splashing out of the pools. The next day was Castaway Cay and we were not able to dock because of the high winds. We were very dissapointed but never did I feel that DCL owed us anything because they were only concerned with ours and the crews safety. I feel that people should read their brochures before booking and if they don't want unexpected things to happen to them DON"T GO ON A CRUISE.:(

[Karel]

Originally posted by chrisn
. Yes I realize for those of you wondering that DCL has no control over Mother Nature and there is the matter of a signed cruise contract but Charleston is a far cry from the Bahamas or Carribean. No offense meant what so ever, I'm sure Charleston is a charming town but when you've been dreaming of and expecting the warm waters of the tropical Bahamas, Charleston is NOT IMHO an equal and acceptible alternative. I would have gotten off the ship too. Maybe I am just an ingrate but when I have spent months or a year or more planning and anticipating a cruise of a lifetime, I want the ship follow the book by the letter so to speak. I am sailing Disney and yes I do realize that there is always a chance that there will be a disappointment as far as itinerary goes but I don't think Charleston would be my idea of a dream cruise to a tropical clime where I could have been snorkeling in the crystal waters and sunning on a tropical beach. .


Obviously, the ship could not follow the book by the letter because of the weather. If they had gone through the hurricane, people would be complaining and saying the Disney does not care about safety. Also, it's a four night cruise -was there anywhere else they could have gone that was not going to be in the hurricane's path? Of course, Charleston was not comparable to a trip to the Bahamas, but life sucks like that sometimes. I was on the seven night cruise and it took us two days to get out of the nasty weather and rough seas.

It just seems that with all the crap going on in this country it's sort of petty to complain that the cruise didn't take you where you wanted to go. At least you have the chance to go on vacation.

[CarolAnnC]

The original poster chose to modify the trip report posted here. Since it no longer exists, this thread is closed to further comments. Thank you.